more information on CEDAW on SOF website
and on the Women Resource Centre
WRC contact: Simma Rai cedaw@wrc.org.uk
SOF contact : hello@sisofrida.org
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Our aim
The Government has to tell the United Nations about women’s rights in the UK.
We are collecting experiences from women across England to give to the United Nations. They will use these when they question the UK Government.
We want to be sure that disabled women are included. This report will reinforced what DDPOs wrote to the UNCPRD committee in last year’s examination in Geneva. But we will focus more on disabled women and girls’ issues.
Please tell us:
- What the problems are, in your own words – we are interested in your personal experiences
- Links to any evidence (research reports if you have them)
- what the government has/has not done since the last time it reported in 2013, and
- your recommendations for what needs to be done.
NB we are reporting on the period from 2013 to date.
We can only give a very short report to the United Nations – only 6,600 words!
We are interested in any information you can give us. Some of the areas that the UN will look at include:
- Trafficking and Prostitution
- Healthcare – how the NHS supports accessibility of healthcare for disabled women
- Political and Public Life – whether disabled women are properly represented
- Economic and Social Benefits – social security payments, universal credit, PIP etc
- Rural Women – the special needs of women outside towns and cities including public transport, slow wifi speeds and access to disability services
- Nationality – special needs of disabled migrant women
- Equality Before the Law – are disabled women equal?
- Education – access to schools, colleges and university for disabled women and girls
- Marriage and Family Life – disabled women’s rights to a family life
- Employment – access to good quality work, and support to work (Access to Work)
- Violence Against Women and Girls – particular problems for disabled women, for example, domestic violence, or such violence against disabled women
Your evidence will be published unless you tell us otherwise.
Let us know if you want:
☐ EITHER your evidence to be completely confidential, OR
☐ to be shared with the Equality and Human Rights Commission only.
Timescale
The deadline for evidence and information is 28 February 2018. Send your evidence to: cedaw@wrc.org.uk
There is more information here
General information – https://thewomensresourcecentre.org.uk/our-work/cedaw/
The Government’s own report is here – http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CEDAW%2fC%2fGBR%2f8&Lang=en
The last shadow report from women’s groups is here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20Documents/GBR/INT_CEDAW_NGO_GBR_13333_E.pdf
If you have any questions please contact us.
Your experience
Any Links to Evidence? Yes/No
Has the Government taken action?
Your recommendations
CEDAW-shadow-report-template-for-written-evidence-from-disabled-women-final (Word doc. for downloading)
Sisters of Frida calls out UK Government on human rights violations of disabled women
PRESS RELEASE
Sisters of Frida joins Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs) from across the UK in Geneva this week to present evidence of violations on disabled people’s rights to the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled People (UNCRPD)
In a closed session on Monday 21st August, DDPOs will highlight the UK Government’s failure to respond to many of the questions put to it by the Committee throughout this process. They will tell the Committee of the systemic failure to support disabled people to live independently and to have access to social, educational, and employment opportunities.
This is the first time the UN Disability Committee is reviewing the UK’s progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities since the UK government ratified the Convention in 2009. DDPOs will tell the Committee that the government has ignored many of the questions put to it earlier this year as part of the review process. The Committee will consider the government’s response to its questions and the DDPOs’ observations before questioning representatives from the UK and devolved governments in Geneva later this week (23 and 24 August).
Eleanor Lisney, Director of Sisters of Frida says,
‘We have been calling out on the failure of the UK Government to fulfil obligations to disabled women since 2013 when we joined the UK CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) Workgroup and delegation in 2013 going to Geneva). We did the same when we went to UN in New York city for CSW (UN Commission on the Status of Women) the UKNGOCSW delegation and held a side event. It is vital that disabled women are represented in processes like CRPD reporting as too often our experience as disabled women is invisible.This is an opportunity to change this and show how the cuts and legal changes are affecting us.’
Sarah Rennie, who will be representing Sisters of Frida in Geneva says,
‘The UK Government’s response does not address how gender-specific policies incorporate the social model of disability to break down barriers, meet the needs of Disabled women, or require an intersectional approach. We urge the Government to immediately remove the “best interests” defence in the Serious Crime Act 2015 which restricts Disabled women from seeing their perpetrators of emotional abuse brought to justice, and to improve access to medical care for Disabled women including pre-natal and reproductive health services.’
The DDPOs’ submission was co-produced by Reclaiming our Futures Alliance (including Sisters of Frida ), Inclusion Scotland, People First Scotland, DRUK, Disability Wales, Disability Action Northern Ireland, British Deaf Association, and Black Triangle.
Defend our Rights, Rights of Disabled Women, #intersectionality #CRPD17, #DDPOSGeneva
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1) The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities investigation is assessing what steps the UK has taken to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People. The committee is a body of experts, nominated and elected by governments. The majority of committee members are disabled people.
2) The committee postponed its scheduled assessment of the UK (originally due in 2015) to hold a special inquiry into complaints by DPPOs that the government’s welfare reform policies had violated disabled people’s rights. The current assessment looks at a much wider set of issues, including our laws on mental health and mental capacity, employment policies and education.
3) Before examining UK and devolved government representatives on Wednesday and Thursday the committee will meet with representatives of DDPOs to discuss their views on the formal written response already tabled by the UK government. The DDPOs have prepared their own submission as highlighted above.
4) Previous UN shadow reports from Sisters of Frida can be found at https://www.sisofrida.org/resources/
5) ROFA is an alliance of Disabled People and their organisations in England including Inclusion London, Equal Lives, Alliance for Inclusive Education, Sisters of Frida, National People First and Disabled People Against Cuts. For more information see: www.rofa.org.uk
6) more information about Sisters of Frida to be found at https://www.sisofrida.org
7) information on the status of disabled women in the Serious Crime Art 2015 can be found at https://www.sisofrida.org/resources/violence-against-women/
Press queries to
Email: hello@sisofrida.org T: @sisofrida https://www.sisofrida.org
SOF CRPD Shadow Report : UK Initial Report on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
